The long-awaited arrival of no-fault divorce law in the spring has revolutionised family law as we know it.
Watching clients suffer through a culture of blame and conflict has been par for the course for family lawyers during the divorce process over the last 50 years. An acrimonious procedure with no real winners that often saw children caught up in the crossfire was, sadly, our bread and butter.
No-fault divorce has since transformed the way couples can now separate, reducing conflicts and strengthening a couple’s ability to negotiate a fair settlement – allowing them to focus on who and what matters the most.
Many in the industry were championing its arrival for decades, but few could quite believe the immediate effect it would have on clients and lawyers alike.
The change can be seen in the latest quarterly Ministry of Justice family court statistics, with divorce applications reaching their highest level in a decade. Figures show that there were 33,566 divorce applications between April and June, up 22% on the same period last year and the highest since 2012.
This was due partly to a spike in pent up demand from couples delaying taking action before April and the sheer backlog of cases that the courts are working through post-Covid.
For more information please contact Gloria Prewett on 02476 684928 or via email [email protected]